


One-Way Ticket Home

by DixieDale



Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 16:56:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: Maybe he was getting old.  Or maybe just tired.  Hell, maybe his 'drive' was just shot to hell.  Who knows, but Casino is seriously worried about himself.  Maybe a trip back home to visit family will give him a better perspective.  Maybe it will let him find what he's looking for, what he needs.  Maybe that's why he only bought a one-way ticket home.





	One-Way Ticket Home

Margie had wanted to drop by on her way from Brighton to London, intended on spending the night, having a little fun, but he'd made an excuse, he didn't remember what. Trish, he'd seen her last trip up to London, seen her down the street anyway, detoured to avoid meeting her face to face. Brenda, Joy, Lucy . . . When he thought back, it'd been weeks, hell, more like three, four months since he'd had 'company', instead spending his nights with Lizzie, Chief, Douglas, individually or otherwise. He'd been well content, not getting an itch to go looking for anyone else, not even thinking about it.

Hell, that wasn't him! It wasn't even normal, not when there were so many other opportunities out there. He'd always liked to keep his options open. He told himself, with more than a little frustration, "ya keep this up, yer gonna lose all those dames; they just aint gonna wait around!" 

He worried that he was getting old, that he was losing his touch, hell, worried he was losing his 'drive'. The others who shared his bed would have snorted at that, since his 'drive' wasn't making itself scarce as far as they could tell. Still, it worried him, made him start thinking.

And that, as Goniff could have told him, was where the trouble really started. Casino was fine with the thinking a job, a 'consultation' required; no problem there at all. In fact, his shrewd thinking, his questioning of Garrison and all those extravagent plans had saved their lives more than once But thinking about personal stuff? Well, that just wasn't something Casino was very good at. He'd avoided it like the plague for too many years, just didn't have the ins and outs down as well as you might expect from a man his age. So, when he started DOING it, started all that thinking, anyone should have just expected trouble to follow.

He kept his mind turning around in circles, not coming to any conclusions. Finally he decided it was because he was HERE, in the middle of everything and everyone; that if he got away somewhere else, see what else was out there, remind himself of all the possibilities, he'd figure it all out. His opportunity came, the letter from his sister about a celebration in honor of their parents' fiftieth anniversary. He studied the letter a little, then made the announcement, all casual like at the dinner table.

"Gonna head back to the States in a couple a weeks; big shindig for the folks' anniversary. Don't know when I'll be back, depends after I get there." Like I said, real casual. No one thought much about it, just happy for him, that he'd see his folks again. He'd made it a point to go back a few times since the war ended, but not usually alone, usually when Garrison had business and more than not, Meghada and Goniff would go along as well. Not with him to see the family, no, but still in the States, and they'd fly out and back together, know how to reach each other at all times.

No one thought much about it when he didn't return the same week, figured he was having a good time and just wanted to spend a little more of it with the family. Til there were no telephone calls. Til there was no letter, not even a telegram. Nothing.

Garrison called, got Casino's mother, who was nice and friendly, said yes, Casino was fine, was having fun with the family and some old friends, took a message for Casino to call, but there was no return call. Conversation around the kitchen table had more gaps in it now, sudden silences. Faces were more solemn, a little worried, preoccupied. The conversation between Craig and Chief was highly disturbing on more than one count, as was the one with Douglas; the conversation between Lizzie and Meghada as much so.

And finally Goniff had had enough, mother hen that he was. As he said, "that's ruddy well enough! Called the airlines, did some checking. Only bought a one-way ticket, 'ere to there. We've waited long enough. 'E's being an idiot, we all know that. And with 'im, sometimes 'e can't see that, not without someone 'itting 'im on the back of 'is 'ead with a brick. I say we get a brick and go thunk 'im a good one! We don't, who knows what shit 'e's gonna pull! You know Casino! We don't, it's gonna be someplace a lot 'arder to pull 'im out of, wouldn't be surprised."

Not particularly diplomatic, but to the point, and making more sense than Goniff did sometimes, his thought processes sometimes working in strange and mysterious ways. It took another family discussion to decide who would go and who would stay, some hard persuasion to make at least one party reluctantly agree to go along, and arrangements were made. As they headed out for the airport, Meghada sat drinking coffee, looking up at the shelf where she kept the few cookbooks she used regularly, wondering if she would be using that Italian one again, doubted she'd have the heart if they came back without Casino.

The anniversary celebration had gone on for two solid days, and it had been a blast! Casino had spent time with his parents, his brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and all the cousins and was on people overload. He'd eaten great food, danced, drank wine and beer. Had a hell of a good fistfight with his cousin Louie, beating the louse into submission and making him admit defeat, just as he'd always been able to do.

He'd had a hell of a reunion with Gloria Manaluski too, one of his old girlfriends. She was divorced and ready for a good time, and boy was he ready to give her one! Of course, he'd forgotten just how high-pitched, even screechy her voice really was; he was more used to Meghada's rather low and husky tones, and Lizzie's lighter but warm and melodious voice. Still had that outta sight build, though; damn! What was that, a forty-five, forty-six inch bustline? Still skinny everywhere else, though. Maybe a little too skinny everywhere else. Hell, what was he doing complaining? Still one heck of a lotta fun! Just why he didn't feel as satisfied as he thought he'd feel once he was back in his own bed, he just didn't know, thought he'd sleep better than he did too. Kept rolling over expecting someone to be there, expecting a voice, voices . . . Maybe it was just extended jet lag. Course, it'd been three weeks, no, closer to four; you'd think he'd be over it by now. And just why did things seemed a little, well, dull? Naw, MUST be jet lag!

Casino was at the wheel of the family car, a bunch of the younger cousins and friends in the car with him, five of the young twerps. He wasn't sure how he'd got roped into this; he'd been just fine at the house, drinking a beer, watching something on the television, though he couldn't have told you what exactly.

Oh yeah, that's right, his louse of a cousin Louie had promised this bunch he'd take them by the arcade across town and then bailed on them at the last minute, so they'd come looking for HIM. And seeing as how Casino had just been laying around, brooding; well, not that he'd use that word. And saying he was feeling lonesome and more than a little homesick wasn't something he'd be likely to do either. Anyway, seems Tony, Louie's younger brother, and his pals had been doing some work there and needed to pick up their paychecks.

"Thanks, Casino! Won't be long, we'll just run in, get the checks from the old bastard that runs the place, be right back out. No more'n ten minutes, maybe fifteen if he's busy! You can double-park there, no problem. People do it all the time! Just watch for us."

He was rounding the corner, the arcade just a few streets ahead when a casual glance in the rearview mirror caught one of the young men adjusting what just had to be a pistol under his shirt. A fast glance saw what he was too preoccupied or bored to have seen earlier, the nervous looks, one licking his lips repeatedly, one not quite being able to sit still, and he knew something was seriously up. A fast professional glance ahead and he saw the possibilities: the arcade in the middle of the block, Ryman's Jewelry Store four doors down, on the corner First Alliance Bank.

{"Oh, yeah, you're so smart, Casino; these young twerps almost got away with it, setting you up to be their wheelman, maybe their patsy anything goes wrong! That louse Louie, bet he set this up, maybe gave them the idea anyway. Tony's his kid brother; he's the one asked me to drive them to the arcade! Shit!"}

He stepped on the gas and to an outburst of "hey, Casino! Hey, man, slow down, yer gonna miss it," with him snarling back, "just shut the fuck up, ya young punks. Not born yesterday and aint stupid, no matter what you think!"

Back home they piled out of the car, casting dirty looks in his direction, him snatching that pistol away from Tony, getting lots of loud cursing with that, it only stopping when a crisp, "what's going on here?" from his mother caused them all to flush, duck their heads and all but Casino to scatter to the four winds. His mother reached out and took possession of the pistol, quite expertly, like it wasn't the first time she'd done so, and a quick jerk of her head and a curt, "we have company coming, and your father and I want to talk to you before they get here. In the house right now, young man!" like he was all of twelve years old. Somehow he felt about that age too, young and stupid and just barely avoiding getting into a real shitstorm of trouble.

"You didn't return that phone call, did you, Casino? Why? They're obviously worried sick about you. What is going on, and no, don't give me that "I'm too old for a lecture look". I'm your mother and you'll never be too old for that look, not as long as I need to be giving it!"

It wasn't easy, it took a lot of hemming and hawing, a lot of not quite saying what he really meant, but enough they sort of figured out what he was NOT saying.

His father looked at his mother, "he gets that from your side of the family."

His mother sniffed, "the stubborn part or the blind stupid part? I think he gets it from both sides. Remember your uncle Lorenzo? Took a two by four to get that man to recognize green from blue, and a slap across the head to make him admit it once he DID see it!"

A reluctant grin came from the man she'd been married to for over fifty years now, "well, your father wasn't much better. If it wasn't for your mother keeping him in check . . ." and Casino decided it was a good time to try and slip out the back way, while they were teasing each other. He found out they hadn't gotten any less keen over the years, as a joint, "get back here, young man! We're not finished with you, not by a long shot!" rang out.

He groaned, turned and returned to get the rest of his lecture. They'd sent him to his old room like he was a kid again, telling him, "you just go settle in and think about it for awhile. You have a head, it's about time you started using it for something besides a hatrack!" Yeah, just like old times!

He was doing just that, stretched out on his bed, thinking, well, maybe doing a little mature pouting along with the thinking, when he heard the doorbell in the distance. His mouth gaped in shock as he recognized those familiar voices - Garrison, Goniff.

"I don't believe it! They came AFTER me?? Shit, I'm in real trouble now!" And if that sounded like he really was a kid again, well . . .

He was prepared for it to be Garrison to come through that door, but it wasn't. The sight of the slender Englishman made Casino let out a deep groan; he knew he was in for it, because Goniff hadn't bounced over that threshold as he usually would have done, cheeky conspiratorial grin on his face. No, he stalked in, full of purpose, more than a little pissed off, perhaps not so much at Casino himself, but at Casino making it necessary for him to be on a ruddy airplane for so long. No, when you think of it, he WAS pissed at Casino, and decided he would just let him know all about it!

Soon Casino was getting an earful, and every time he started to heave himself off the bed to defend himself, he had a fierce-faced blond banty rooster right up in his face, keeping him plastered against that headboard.

Now Goniff had moved on to "know 'ow you and Chiefy were always telling me, 'don't be an idiot, Goniff!? 'Smarten up, Goniff, before you screw it all up'?"

And a folded newspaper Goniff had pulled out of nowhere hit Casino directly on top of his rumpled hair, getting a surprised yelp! from him along with an indignant look, and a sharp voice told him, "now, I'm telling YOU! Casino, don't be a ruddy idiot! It aint getting old to figure out who you want beside you in your bed, in your life; aint getting old to figure out all the other dames are keeping you from getting w'at you really want and need! It's finally getting smart! So, Casino, you better smarten up before you screw it all up. Not saying it's all your fault. You never been much of a fan of 'thinking', as such, not about the important stuff, not in the 'abit, you might say, so you just aint all that good at it. But ya gotta think now, and think straight!"

He wasn't finished, not by a long shot! "You 'urt them, Casino! Ya got Lizzie going round looking like she's got a 'eadache that won't go away. Chiefy, too, looking all bruised-like in the eyes, and Douglas almost as bad. Figure with them, it's a 'eart-ache, not a 'eadache, but they didn't want to say anything, figuring you know what you want and not wanting to stand in your way, but they aint thinking so straight right now either, they're 'urtin too bad, missing you too ruddy much.

He wasn't nearly finished. "That blonde skirt with the forty-five inch carpets and screechy voice and no brain you just told me about; she worth giving them up for good? She worth letting that cousin a yours sneak one past you and you doing another pretty little stretch in the pen? Blimey, Casino! I pull anything like this, I'd be 'earing nothing from you but 'dumb Limey', and you most likely pulling a snatch on me, bashing me over the 'ead and dragging me back where I belong! I gotta do that?? You give me the word, bet I could find me a brick without too much trouble!"

And Casino sat there with his mouth hanging open at the sight of the furious little Englishman reading him the riot act. He was listening, though, listening and thinking, no matter how bad Goniff said he was at it. 

"They're so upset, why're you here, not them? I aint worth them making the trip? Just sending you and the Warden to do their talking for them?" he said, even to himself sounding a little, no, a lot, like a pouty, sullen twelve year old.

A figure at the doorway, his mother, "they are, at least two of them, along with Mr. Garrison. And I think he's right, those are some seriously unhappy people I'm seeing in my living room. Casino, we raised you to be smarter than this. No one stays a kid forever, not if they're smart. Eventually they grow up, settle down to something, someone if they're lucky enough to FIND something or someone worth settling down TO. Like your father and I did when we found each other, figured out that was the way it was supposed to be. You're even luckier than most, from what I'm seeing and hearing, and you're just turning your back??"

He frowned, not really wanting to do something just cause his mother told him to, not at his age. She shook her head, knowing that stubborn look from old.

"Here, YOU talk to him! He gets that pigheadedness from your side of the family!", obviously an old line since it got a broken-off laugh from the tall greying man who'd just stepped up beside her. Casino's mother turned, still shaking her head, talking to herself in Italian as she headed back down the hall.

Goniff smirked, but obeyed when he got a quick jerk of the head from Casino's father, though he took one last long look back at his recalcitrant friend.

"Better think it over, Casino. Yer playin a real long-shot 'ere, betting the whole pot on w'at looks to me like a piss-poor 'and. You're too smart for that, man," and left.

The older man standing at the doorway closed the door behind the talkative little Englishman. "You know, for someone who's not Italian, he's pretty smart!" and that got a reluctant snort of laughter from Casino.

"Yeah, but don't go tellin him that, he'll just get all puffed up. Never let me hear the end of it!"

Casino's mom had managed to pull all of them into her big kitchen, gathered around the kitchen table. She'd intercepted a wry grin from Garrison as they all sat down, raised inquiring eyebrows, a mother's eyebrows that insisted on an explanation of that grin, 'and right now too, mister!'

He laughed, and told her, "back home, this is our gathering place too, most of the time, the kitchen table. The place we talk things out, hash things over, fight and make up, bring it all back round right when things go off-balance."

A smile came to her face now, and she nodded, "I was wondering when Casino said what you have there, what he calls The Cottages, he says it's a home, for all of you. It sounds to me like he's right. I've always said a kitchen table is the heart of a home."

Goniff chimed in, "'Gaida, she's even learned 'ow to cook Italian, just for Casino. Though we all like it real fine ourselves. You make lasagna, Mrs. C? And cannelloni? And cheese cookies?" enough wide-eyed innocent hunger in his blue eyes to make everyone laugh just a bit, though with a reproving, "Goniff, your manners!" from Garrison.

"Something tells me you're hungry," she said, starting to whirl around the kitchen like Meghada, before she even got his fervent eager nod. 

Wonderful smells were coming from the kitchen when Casino's father walked through the door, bent over and whispered something in Chief and then Lizzie's ear. Those two looked at each other, and Lizzie looked at Chief, and he shook his head firmly, "you first," and Lizzie let Casino's father lead her to that back bedroom. 

When she came back, her eyes were red and damp, and she lacked the air of certainty that the others had really hoped they'd see. Lizzie looked at Chief, something of desperation in her face, "your turn, Chief. Give it all you've got; he's locked into stubborn mode, all the way!" Chief took a deep breath, obviously gathering his resolve, pushed his chair back and left the room.

Casino was sprawled against the headboard of that bed he'd slept in anytime he was at his family's home. Somehow that made him feel both very young and very old, and if that didn't make any sense, well, nothing else had recently either. He was frowning, looking down, obviously deep in thought. He looked up as the door opened, and gulped apprehensively at the sight of that impassive face, that tense body lounging against the door frame.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, it was Chief who started. "You ready to talk sense?"

Casino flushed, "I guess. But if yer gonna tell me I'm acting like an idiot, don't bother. Already been told that mor'n once today."

"Aint a question of how many times you been told it; question is, you ready to listen?" And that flush became deeper. 

"You sayin I'm an idiot cause I maybe want something else, something other than what I've got? I don't maybe deserve better?"

And the flash of hurt was there and gone from Chief's face, but not so quickly Casino didn't see it well enough, curse at himself a little for saying that, ashamed, knowing he'd intended it to hurt.

"No. I'm saying yer an idiot cause you're out lookin for somethin else without takin time to think about WHAT you really want, maybe without knowin what you already have. You really think that blonde bimbo Goniff told me about is better than Lizzie? You're important to her, Casino; she wants you to come home. You willing to just walk away from someone like her? You willing to walk away from the team? There something better out there than that? You willing to walk away from being an uncle to Randy, M'Coury? You got someone better'n them to be that for? You really think maybe gettin caught up in something like that stunt today, ending up back in the slam, is better?" 

Casino couldn't really refute any of that, but that wasn't the whole point, even though he wasn't sure how to say it. Finally, face sullen like when they'd first met, he lifted his face to meet Chief's eyes when he asked, "ya say Lizzie wants me to come back, ya say I'm important to her and she's a hell of a lot to just walk away from. The team, Randy, all a lot to give up. Okay, I'll give ya that."

There was silence, and finally Casino raised his eyes, more than a little wariness and uncertainty in his own, forcing out the words he'd told himself he wouldn't say, was too proud to say. Now, he found maybe he wasn't.

"Lizzie. I'm important to her, you said. To HER. Not to you?"

Chief flushed deeply, now his eyes being the ones to turn away, not make contact. "Figured maybe I was part of what you were trying to get away from. Already talked to the Warden, bout maybe working, staying somewheres else, so you don't feel crowded; still be part of the team, just not, well, not at The Cottages. Maybe get a place in London, somewhere else around. Douglas, he says the same. We can keep it business, friends, like before. Casino . . .," and when he did raise his eyes, the stunned look on Casino's face shocked him.

The rest of the conversation, well it was private, between them, and probably wasn't an easy one, but perhaps one long overdue. That had always been a problem with the two of them, avoiding the words. And while sometimes what existed between two people didn't have to be discussed, sometimes it DID require words, words and more, before it was truly understood. Before the depth of emotion, of the caring, the love, was truly understood and accepted.

Dinner was done and ready to be put on the table by the time they walked into the kitchen. All eyes were watching, hoping, and as usual, it was Goniff who spoke up first, him not having all that much of a filter, "well, bout ruddy time! Thought we were gonna let all this lovely, lovely food get cold waiting for you to come to your senses, Casino!".

Lizzie laughed and jumped up to give each of them a warm, fervent hug, though scolding Casino with a slight shake and an exasperated, "IDIOT!".

Laughter came from all sides now, and a rather sheepish Casino told his parents, "looks like I'm headed back home tomorrow. Next time, you two come visit us, okay?" And it was agreed that really might be the best. 

Garrison just shook his head. Sometimes leading this group of men was just more challenging than it really needed to be. He took a long look around the table, at the sheepish smile on Casino's face, the others, and admitted to himself, {"challenging, but worth every bit of it!"}


End file.
